Elastic-fluid turbine.



K DMAR;.10;f 11908{"' n -nz nir v "ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE,

APPLmAT'Ion FILED DBO. -1906.

Inventor;

r- -H.Rice,

Rich

. ybines, tion.

" monk-non. met, or

l i- {w 1 13c; it-imown that 1 citizen, of the;"United-v States,

,m it mayiccncem:

RICHARD H.- Ricn, a residing at ,S wampsc'ott, countyvofEsseX, State of Mas- },sachusetts, have-invented certain new and useful- Improvements in Elastic-Fluid Turof whlch' the following is a spccifica- :This application 15s. division of my ap plication Serial 0. 264,059, filed June 7, 1905,

and .is filedin response to a'requirement for ply under emergency division made by the United States-Patent Ofiice under Rules41 and 4:2 of ofiice practice; Y v r The present vinventionhrelates to prime movers or motors, such for example, as elas- ,l'zlc flllld turbines.

Its object is to improve the construction of the which will operate to regulate the admission of .niotive fluid to the turbine under normal load changes andentirely shut off thesup critical speed of rotationis'reached.

" "lnthe accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, Fig- "ure F1 is a partial side view of an elastic fluid turbine; Fig. 2 is a perspective view ofthe emergencyvalve and its spindle, and shows C hG lQSD-IHOUOII device which permits the 'valveto close'suddenly; F1 3 1s a diagram of'partsof the lost-niotion evice; Fig. 4 is a *1' transverse sect-ion through the governing .jm'e *h' 1 ithi d anisnil'online 4, 4, of Fig. 5 looking in 1 rticaliongitudinal section through the e rgency valve chest, the regulating valve i'thelgovernor casing and through part ofthejj ,jturbineprope'r; Fig. 6 is a vert cal section'of "4'0- nppen portion of the regnlating chest; is a section through the emer= gencywalve chest on line 7, 7 of;F1g.;5; and

Fig. a detail view of the regulating valve and its .eseats.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents-the casing of the turbine inolosing a bucketw heel: Zwhich is mounted on a shaft 3, Fig; 5.

. 0n the periphery of the wheel is arranged one or more rows of buckets 4 against which the motive fluid is directed.

ll'hen more than one row of wheel buckets are empioyed, as in the present allustration, intermediate buckets 5, are?arranged between the rows extend K n ing-{partially 01. entirely around the wheel ELASTIC-FLUID TURBINE. f

Specification of Letters Patent.

conditions, as .when a" lrectionindicated by the arrows, Fig; 5'

sex-mrswrrr. mssncnesnrrs, ASSIGNOR To enniiitinein'ornic roiirixr, A conron 'rion or NEW YORK- Ila-264,059. Divided and this application filed {iie centi zi 1506.

: Serial No. I

ary or movable as desire ing to change the directi .tive fluid as it passes f v a succeeding row of wheel ibuckets llflhe buckets receive steam. or otherjelast 'ic ,Iiuid from suitable discharge devices,such as-nozzles or nozZle sections, arrangedadjacent the periphery of the wheel inthe plat. 6 Olbther support. These nozzlesfrnay be 'expa'nding .Or non-expanding, as "preferred. Thelino tive fluid passes from the'buckets into an exhaust conduit 7 whichmaylead.ito another set of nozzles and buckets ifthe turbine be of the multi-sta'ge type, or to, stondeneer, or to the atmosphere. theQsha ft 3,,on the hubs 8 of the wheel, are .packings 9 forpreventing the escape of fiuid f ro n the casing. Secured to the shaft 3 inlany suitable man. ner is afra1ne 10,Figs. 4 and 5 ,,which carries the governor weights 11,.the eights heing omitted in the latter figurefor cons nience of illustration. "f The weights. are .adapted to act I against a weighted and'fyieldingabute ment as is usualin governors-en .to impart. :longitudinal motion to ails-tent 12, arranged -;in axial alinement With ..the .3 "The ,mo'vement'of the stem 1 2{is ,transn by a. bell-crank lever lili tothe e 1? stem .141 ft.

16 with the vertical arrn,. 'verselylof the stem 12 and-th h extending over the .gover wand-theqturdime, .cas1ngandconnect a it wlth' v The pivot 17, is located atits elbow so that th 11; ions due to the actionwof the go verno are. con-1;.

verted into vertical. reciprocations; .ofthe valve stem. In order to afford the necessary flexibility, and form i socket joint provide 12 an Qthe,%ever, the t, irein. The end 19', infliv are freely moya e, I y W carried l ,.y,-the;lower end ofi tl et valvegst'em. Theheadflwl-iich carries th tri nn-ions isflree mova'bly secured to the steg 1? Arranged above the gov rns, lnioverhjang- 105 ing relation. thereto, iswa 'r gulatingjalvfi chest 21 and a valve chest 122jco ntai111ng ;a11 emergency valve 23 These chests'fareprefix,

the: valve stem:

erably made separate and bolted together. The regulating valve chest is in turn bolted to the eriphery of the turbine casing adthe adjacent jacent t e nozzles. To permit access to'the interior, each chest is provided with a removable cover 24. The lower portion of the regulating valve chest is expanded, Fig. 5, to form a top or cover for the governor casing. On this portion of the casing is an oil cup 26' arranged in line with the vertical arm of the lever 13. This arm is hollow and is provided with a mouth 27 at its upper end into which lubricant is fed from the cup. The arm contains cotton waste or other suitable absorbent .which keepsithe ball-andsocket'joint 18 properly lubricated. .Suflicient lubricant creeps out from this joint to I parts of the governor tolubricate them. I

The regulating valve is of the balanced type. It comprises a sleeve 28 formed with an annular flange at; its lower end. This flan e serves as one valve disk and a collar 29, tted around the sleeve and resti-n on a shoulder 30, serves as the ther .valve isk'.

- The flange and the collar both have the'same side.

, area ex osed to the motive fluid on the inlet he collar29 is secured in place by a cap 31' which screws on the externally threaded upper end of the sleeve. The valve stem 14 extends through the interior of the sleeve and has at its. u per end a shouldered portion 32 which may e a removable collar and ,is in engagement With a counter-bore at the upper end of the sleeve. This portion and the cap 31 cooperate to prevent end- W'ise movement of the valve on its stem. The cap 31" is provided with a transversely extendlng slot 33, Fig. 5, having overhanga side-wise mo'vement. valve" comprises an annular member U- ing jaws which engage the end of the guide stem. 34. Theparts may be disengaged by The seat for the shaped in vertical cross-section which is supported in a shouldered recess 35, in one face of the regulating valve chest, and is held in the recess by a rojection on the emergency valve chest. T iis arrangement permits the seat to be readily removed for regrinding or other urposes, and does away with bolts or y nuts orsec ring said seat. The stems--14 and 3-4 of tie valve, are provided with a numbe of annular grooves which collect the with the escapingmoisture.

moisture escaping from the valve chest and form hydraulic packings. Lubricant forthe stems is fed to small annular passages or chambers 36 in the walls surroundingthe stems, and feeds therefrom along the stem As'shown in Figs. 5 and6, the chambers 36 are supplied from oilcu $37 on the cover of the regulatliest. 'One cup supplieslubricant and t e other oup sup lies the valve stem through the conduit an pipe 39, Figs. 4 and so as to insure proper seatin 6. At the outer ends of the stems are collee-ting chambers 40 for the condensed steam or moisture which escapes along the stems from the ralve chests. These two chambers are joined by a pipe 41 so that the 11 )per chamber may drain into the lower. from the lower chamber the water of condensation passes through a pipe 42, Figs. 4 and 5, to the turbine-casing.

The emergency valve chest communicates with the regulating valve chest through a port 43, and the inlet end of the port is finished to form a seat 44 for the emergency valve, Fig. 5. The valve is of the swinging type and is loosely mounted on. a horizontal spindle 45 located above the seat'so that the valve has a tendency to close under the ac tion of gravity. A certain amount of play is provided between the valve and its spindle Thevalve is held open by an oscillating latch or look 46 which, 'When released, permits the valve to close. The latch is mounted within the chest and rocks with a shaft 47 suitablyjournalcd in the walls of the chest. The s indie 45 extends through the wail of the va ve chest and carries a hand-Wheel 48 by which the valve may be reset. The hand-wl1eel is made with smoothly finished surfaces so that it cannot. be fastened in a position to hold the valve open. dueto a careless attendant.

' To permit the lock to be raised to its normal or set position simply by the turning of the hand-wheel, a-projection or finger 49 is formed on the lock and disposed in the path of movement of the valve so that when the latter is raised, the valve wipes against the projection, and throws the look under the lip 50 of the valve, Figs. 2 and 5. vTo allow the valve to fall suddenly, Without moving the hand-Wheel and spindle with it, a lost-niotion device 51, Figs. 2 and 3 is provided. This device com rises overhanging lugs or projections 52 an 53 formed res ectively, on the hub ofthe valve and on a co lar keyed to the valve spindle. Either or both of these projections are less than 180 measured on the arcs a and b, Fig. 3, thus leaving a sectorshaped space 54 between the surfaces 55 through which the lug 53 is capable of moving during the closing of the valve before engaging the other lug. When it is desired to open the valve, the supply of steam to. the emergency valve chest is cut ofi. Then the hand- .wheel and spindle are turned in the direction indicated by the arrow, figs-2 and 3. which causes the projection 52 to move toward and engave the projection 53 at'the surface.-' .-3, and-by continued movement to raise the valve. i

In order that the projection 52-11121 auto matically disengage and return to its normal position, a spring 56 is arranged at or near the hand-wheel, one end beinganchored at This reduces the liability of accidents stress 'soth 57 and the free end attached to the hand wheel or spindle. During the openingmovenierit of' the valve the spring is placed under t. as soon as the operator releases the lien heel, the projections 52 and 53 disengage and thus allow the valve to fall freely when the latch isreleased. A suitable packing is provided around the valve spindle,

Fig.7, to prevent leakage, from the chest.

1 .The device for'releasing the lock or latch under abnormal or emergency conditions,- comprises the following On the shaft-.47,

o'utslde the casing,- is an arm or crank 58,

Figs. 1', 4 and 7, which is actuated'by' a suddenly-acting-weighted member that preferably has the form ofa longitudinally movable rod or actuator '59, Figs. 1 and 4. This rod is actuated by. a contractilespring 60, (or its equivalent), which is secured atone end to the rod, and at the other end to a suit able anchor 61 on the governor casing. At the/lower end, or at'any other suitable position, a tri ger 62 is arranged which is adapted to hOlL the rod or actuator in its set or energized'position. The trigge is provided with a nose 63 which engages the notch 64 in the rod so as to hold the latter inset position.v The trigger is also provided with an arm 65 which extends through the w'allof the governor casing toa point within where it lies in the path of one or morecentrifugally acting springs, orother'devices 66, 1-' i'gs."4. and 5, which are mountedon the governor frame Q 10. The freeends of' the springs'are defiect ed outwardly atiex'cessivelyhigh speeds and strike the outer end of the arm 65, thusreleasingthenose 63from thenotch 64, and

permitting the rod 59 to operate under the influence of the spring( to rock the shaft 47 by means of the cran I leases thelock or latch 46 and causes the projection 49 thereof to impart a hammer blow gally-acting springs 66 is astationary'ring 67 which acts as a damper to prevent undue vi v 'bra'tion of the ends. of the springs after they have struck and released the tr gger.

The trigger is providedfvvith a spring cs, Fig. 4,w-hi.'ch resets itidu'ring the operation. of resetting the emergency. valve. without attention on the part of the operator; The

spring ishradeof fia strip in the form of a loop, one end being anchored on an extensionorportion 69 of the governor casing; and the free end'being securedto the arm 65 The fixedv end of: the spring of the trigger. is disposed adjacent the nose of the tr gger and isshaped to form a stop for the trigger when it is reset, Fig. 4. V Vhen the nose and the stop are thus engaged, the rod 591s i 'evented from moving under the tension of its spring, but when they are'rel'eased bythe .means of the hand-wheel.

, or arm- 58. The con tact of the rod withthe arm 58 is in the na- ,ture of an active bl'ow'which suddenly returbine casing.

in dotted lines, rod isfree to move.

After the rod has operated,the triggeris held in the, position indicated 'by' dotted lines by the rod itself.

In this position the trigger spr1ng68is flexed so that the trigger 'willfau tomatically return. to its normal posi tion when the rod is raised to its normal position. during the setting of theei'nergency valve.

and the latch are shown intheir set'orope'rative positions by full lines, and in-their re.- leased or closed position by dotted lines. To open the valve, it isiswung upward-l by The swinging of the valve actuates the latch causing, .in'turn, thecrank or arm 58. keyed tothe latch shaft 47 to swing upward. and raisethe actuator or rod, ermitting the trigger, to reset itself. It will e observed thatin order to permitthe latch to fall back from its extreme position to its operative position, a lost-motion must be provided between the arm 58 and the rod 59. For this purpose, ,theupper end of the rod. is slotted-and the pin'71 connecting the arm. and therod is. arranged to move freely in the slot. -Because offthis lost-rnotionithe latch will fall as soonas the operator releases the hand-wheel, and come to rest in osition to engage the lip 50.,ofthe valve. hen the parts arein'normal posi tion, the pin 71 is at the bottomof the slot I p 5 Referringto' F g. 5., theelnergency valve as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Another rm portant. feature of this -1ost-motion connec tion between the actuator and the armis that allows the actuator, to move a short inerblow effect.- A web or-abi1tment 72, Figs. 2 and 5-, is formed on the emergency valve to receive the impacfifrom the '.pro'-. jection 49.0n'lthe lock, and alsotoproperly' positionthe lock with respect to. the-valve." This arrangement makes the lost-motion which has to be taken valve very small Any moisture that asses 'from' the emergencyvalve chest a ong' the shafts? is collected in an annular chamber 73,- Fig;

up resetting the 7, fromwhich it drains through thefpipe'7 4'" to the chamber 40 at thelower end of the regulating valve stem and 'thencef'to the- The regulating valve p so constructed that, asuitable' throttling reactive efiects of the. fiowingsteam'do not The throttling action is due,to the-beveled portions of the disks 28 an'd'29, and the corresponding portions 76 0f the seating-com,-

15,- Figs; 5 and 8, is

actionis secured and the impactand-the.

I disturb thebalanced condition of the valve-1* "for-:ilischarging motive fluid against the, movable element, in combination with-a Steam flowing from the region 78, Fig. S,' imp nges on the horlzontal surface of the lower .valve disk and tends to move it downiward, Similarly,- steamissuing from the.

'jjregioir 79 p'asses over the surfaces- 7-6 and]? IOJhi1lar.$11r..a-c'e 80, forme for this purpose,

and 'balancres the action is. not'disturbed"bythe flow of steam when moved froin-its balanced closed position. VVith the governing mechanism described, the nornial'loa-d changes are taken care of by the regulating valve which with variations inzspeed, has a slightreciprocating or to-andvfro jinovement whereby the admission of motive fluid to the turbine nozzles is increased with decreasing speedbf the turbine, and decreased'with increasing speed. I If, for any reason,th e speed of rotation should be come excessive, the emergency governor is '25 called into. play,-thereby releasing the emergency valve and-cutting off the entire supply to theturbine.

- Wl'iile a turbine of the well known Curtis ype has been; described, it is obviously with the. soopeof my invention to employ pep'f turbine, whether the same r ralial flow't'ype', or a combinere/ I with'the provisions of the atutes, "I have described the princi- .p'le'o fo'p ion-of my invention,- together with .th pp, aat'us which I now consider to repres embodiment thereof; but I. desire to.- a it understood that the appaonly illustrative and that the 'ecarried out by other means. I ilai as new and desire to secure Patent of the United States, is,-

element, a casing therefor, a, device valvefc-hest supported on the casing which 'deliversniotive fluid to the discharging de vi ce,' a regulating valve therein, a" second valve chest supportedbytheflrst and 111 alinement therewith. andwith the discharging device, andanemergency' valve-in the second valve chest.

515- 2. An elastic fluid motor comprising a rotatable element and a casing therefor, in combination with a speed-responsive device "and flow ng: upward im inges on the ,an-p

\ I combination .Wi just -described.. Thus, the balanced-condition of the valve lastioflui-d motor comprising a arr: nged exterior to the casing and in alincment with the axis of rotation, a casing for said device, a valve chest supported on the turbine casing, a regulating valve therein, a second valve, chest which is carried by and is arranged in line with the first, and an emcrgency valve therein.

I motor comprisinga rotatz-ible element -valves, chests for the valves which communicate, and a member secured between the chests which contains seats for one of the valves.

5. In a governing mechanism, the combination of a balanced regulating valve, an emergency valve, communicating chests for the valves removably connected together, a recess between adjacent surfaces of the valve chests, and a removable mel'nber supported in the recess which contains seals for the regulating valve;

6. In an elastic fluid turbine, the combi nation of'a bucket Wheel, a casing therefor, a governing valve, a stem for actuating and guiding the valve, one or more conduits for conveying the fluid leaking around the stem to the casing, and a speed-responsive device formoving the valve.

7. In an elastic fluid turbine, the combination of a bucket Wheel, a casing therefor, a governing valve, a stem for actuating and guiding the valve, means for lubricating the 'stem, oneor more conduits which collect the motive fluid and. lubricant leaking past the stem and discharge them 1nto a casing in a region of reduced pressure, and a speedtresponsive-devicefor moving the valve.

IH' SYIlIIlSS whereofi'l have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of December, 1906.

RICHARD H. RICE.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. 'MoM-ANUs, Jix, HENRY O. VVESTENDARP. 

